Chapter 173: Seven Bells Before Death

King-rank monsters were said to be stronger than humans of the same rank because the curse greatly amplified their power.

And yet…

Jackson held his ground against Morgus remarkably well.

No, he did more than that.

He actually began forcing Morgus backward, gaining a genuine advantage over him.

At that moment, the monstrous clergyman's attention was completely occupied by Jackson.

It was the perfect opportunity for me to strike.

SLASH!!!

I needed less than a second to join the battle.

I gathered as much Phoenix Flame as I could around my sword before attacking at full speed with Asterion's swordsmanship.

In a single second, I unleashed ten flaming slashes.

The attacks tore into Morgus's body, drawing a pained groan from him. He immediately tried to strike me in fury, but I evaded his attack without difficulty.

The moment Morgus turned his attention toward me, Jackson tightened his hold on him even further.

Gustav joined the battle five seconds after I did.

What he lacked in speed, however, he compensated for with explosive power as he swung his greatsword.

Gustav's Aura Armor was the strongest among us.

I could barely match it even after reinforcing my own with Phoenix Flame.

His greatsword struck Morgus as well, successfully breaking through the monster's golden aura.

Morgus groaned in pain and cursed us again and again, calling us heretics.

It was strange fighting a monster capable of speech, but he didn't seem capable of holding an actual conversation. He merely repeated the same phrases at random, like broken remnants of the man he had once been.

And less than five minutes after the battle began, we had already inflicted tremendous damage on Morgus.

We hadn't even brought everyone into the fight yet.

'Something is wrong…'

We were winning.

And yet, it didn't feel like we were.

Was this really a King-rank monster?

How was I breaking through his Aura Armor so easily?

How was I avoiding his attacks with so little effort?

Compared to the Iron Devil…

This was child's play.

I exchanged a quick glance with Jackson and immediately realized that he was probably thinking the same thing.

He had clearly noticed how weak Morgus was.

"No point holding back anymore!"

Jackson roared.

His monstrous heart began pounding at full force as he finally unleashed all of his strength.

His Aura Armor erupted with twice its previous intensity.

Jackson overwhelmed Morgus with ease, driving the giant backward until he reached the far edge of the prayer hall, where Jackson completely cornered him.

The old hunter manipulated his Aura Armor, concentrating its power entirely into his right fist. The sheer amount of mana radiating from him was terrifying, enough for me to immediately realize that he intended to end this battle with a single strike.

We were supposed to hold back our strongest attacks at the beginning to avoid exhausting ourselves too early. But after seeing just how weak Morgus appeared to be, Jackson decided that ending the battle quickly would work in our favor.

I agreed.

"Kill him!" I shouted, supporting his decision.

Jackson didn't assume a fighting stance for his next attack.

He didn't even pull his fist back.

He merely took a single step.

The ground exploded beneath his foot.

And in the next instant, his body vanished.

Neither Morgus nor I saw the attack that followed.

All the monster seemed to realize was that Jackson's fist was already in front of his chest.

Then came a deep, muffled sound.

As though something had exploded inside Morgus's body.

In the next instant, Jackson's fist had already burst through Morgus's back after punching straight through his chest with devastating force.

Jackson pulled his arm free, revealing a bloody hole through the monster's torso.

A massive cavity that looked more like an abyss.

It was unquestionably a killing blow.

Morgus collapsed immediately, his enormous body crashing against the ground with a violent impact.

"Did… we win?" Gustav asked from beside me, disbelief written across his face.

I couldn't answer him.

Even I wasn't certain.

Had we really just defeated a King-rank monster?

For a moment, I almost believed we had.

But Morgus's body didn't dissolve into souls.

And we received no reward.

Which meant…

"Everyone, stay alert! It's not over yet!" Jackson roared in warning.

A thunderous chime completely drowned out his voice.

I spun toward its source.

The bells were ringing again.

But this time, instead of one…

Two bells tolled.

The instant their chimes reverberated through the hall, golden mana gathered around Morgus's corpse, engulfing his body in an overwhelming torrent of power.

Only a few seconds passed before the monster opened his eyes again.

He rose to his feet with an entirely new body.

Clean.

Untouched.

Completely free of injuries.

"Impossible… He already recovered. No… he became stronger?!" Jackson's expression darkened as he sensed the new surge of mana pouring from Morgus.

There was no mistaking it.

His power had increased.

And somehow, those bells were responsible.

"There are seven of them…" I muttered under my breath.

A faint headache began creeping into my skull as I started to understand how those bells worked.

"Don't tell me he gets stronger every time another bell rings?!"

Not only stronger.

He completely recovered every time as well.

"This is too much…"

All at once, a battle that had seemed almost easy transformed into something else entirely.

Something bordering on impossible.

"Fear not the death of others, nor your own. Never doubt the Holy Throne!"

Morgus began speaking once more, spreading his arms as he raised them in supplication toward the statue.

Then his expression twisted with fury as he cursed us.

"I MUST PURGE THE HERETICS!!!"

The instant his final roar erupted through the hall, magnificent wings burst from Morgus's back.

Brilliant golden wings, blazing with such intense light that they illuminated the entire chamber.

Morgus rose above our heads, hovering in the air like a being that stood far beyond us.

"The bell has tolled twice!"

His voice thundered throughout the hall.

"The first for your sin!"

The golden aura surrounding him surged violently.

"And the second for your punishment!!"

An enormous amount of golden mana gathered around Morgus, taking shape in the air.

Golden spears.

Dozens of magnificent golden spears materialized around him, every single one pointed directly at us.

Morgus unleashed them without the slightest hesitation.

A storm of golden spears rained down upon us.

And at last, Morgus made us understand exactly why he had been chosen as the final guardian standing before the Golden Dawn Knight's gate.

The battle against him…

Was a living nightmare.